Favorites| August 2013

Phew, it's been a long long month of moving, job hunting, and generally sweating under the unbearable LA sun! Have I gotten the point across yet by now? It feels like I'm in the Devil's armpits 24/7. I can't eat, because digesting food makes me sweat. I can't sleep without sticking onto the sheets. Driving around town feels like a half-marathon. No wonder the Vietnamese people here (no racist, I live smack in Little Saigon) feel so at home, it's just as humid!

After the initial period of minimalist makeup, I was finally (happily) reunited with my extensive makeup stash and also found a few new favorites to share with you. With further ado, let's get into it! These are the products I have been using and abusing for the past month, but I have many other products on rotation. I just hope that this is the last heat wave before autumn comes. I'm looking forward to hot chocolate, knee high socks, and military jackets.

From left to right:

Anastasia Brow Gel in Espresso- Wow, and I thought the Brow Wiz was ingenious. This gel takes my natural brows to Cara Delevigne status without looking like a poser. The formula adheres onto my skinny brow hairs and makes them look voluminous. Is that a term one should ever use to describe brows? It doesn't help with my nonexistent tail, but for a natural look this is no-fuss. It also makes straight brows a breeze. You can also use just the tip for the end of the tail or front of the brows for more precision. Espresso is a good match for my dark brown hair. I match this with the Wiz (for the tail and outline) for extra #browsonpoint points.

NARS Sheer Glow in Stromboli- My interview foundation, and my new Holy Grail. This is, for me, a full coverage and long wearing foundation with excellent color match and a beautiful semi-matte finish. Perfection. Overpriced, but perfection. I will do a review on this very soon. It is so beautiful I want to throw away all of my other foundations and use it exclusively until the day I die. But that's not savvy.

Shiseido Urban Environment Oil-Free UV Protector SPF 42- This is perfect for the face. The runny -almost watery- consistency means that it does not ball or pill under makeup and never leaves a white cast. It also reapplies easily without smearing your makeup (or what's left of it after you've been outside sweating like a whore in church). I would repurchase again and again, after so many stints with drugstore cake batter sunscreen that suffocates the face but claims to be "lightweight." Yeah right. Especially Neutrogena. Yes, you.

Neutrogena Rapid Clear Acne Defense Face Lotion- Speaking of Neutrogena, they got this one right. I no longer use a moisturizing night cream but opt for this instead. It's a lightweight oil-control lotion that has 2% salicylic acid (or BHA for getting rid of your white and blackheads, ladies) and isn't drying at the least. I do alternate with a brightening serum, but this is my go-to product for most nights. I had a new island zit form on my chin the other day (I'm talking own zip code and post office here) and this took down the redness and size in 3 days. Not miraculous, but the zit never came through to become a whitehead. I hear this is discontinued, but I got mine on EBay. Seriously, this is the cheapest face treatment for my blackheads that I've ever found.

Real Techniques Powder Brush + MAC Studio Fix- My lazy day combination. I'm finally tan again, enough for the Studio Fix (shade C5). The powder brush is dense enough to provide medium coverage without overcaking. The best part about this powder is its oil control. It also plays nice with liquid foundation underneath if I want extra coverage for night time. I take the powder brush and pat into my T-zone rather than use a sweeping motion. Note how well the brush has held up even under the mighty jaws of my evil canine son Beau. Grrrr...

Tweezerman Eyelash Curler- After wandering like a lost soul when I found out the Shu Uemura lash curler (notoriously good for Asian lashes) was discontinued in Sephora, I got this in hopes of replacing the holy grail I never found. This blows my old Sephora AND Shiseido curler out of the water. It grabs onto every single lash without crimping or pulling, or worse, pinching. I love how it also came with replacement rubber pads. I don't go a day without curling my lashes now. Before, I was lucky to fit five lashes into the jaws. Plus, I hear that if you do it every day you can train your lashes to curl. The trick with lash curlers and hooded eyes like mine is to relax your face and breathe through it, much like labor contractions or trying on heels.

I do need to find a place to photograph my products that captures the natural light inside the house but not my vagabond pups and their hairy mess. It's frustrating when you don't live in a Pottery Barn home design. I'll try my best to get better photo settings for you guys :)

Well, that's it for now. Bye!

Be

First Look | Hot Off the Press (Marc Jacobs, Urban Decay Revolution, NARS Radiant Cream Compact Foundation, LORAC Pro To Go)

With some help from a Groupon gift card (should have bought one more with the husband's account...) and some thorough research, I was able to locate my local Sephora. Sadly, this one is located within a JCPenneys and has some major restrictions. Including the fact that I have to personally call Sephora to add the points to my VIB account. Sigh, first world problems.

First, I made sure to haul a few good things that I already know I love, aka UD's Revolution lipsticks, this time in two shades:

• Fiend is a muted rose color that translates to a MLBB color. I am not a fan of layering on lip products that have no real color payoff, but this color gives my pout a nice sheen and a rosy color.


• Catfight is a pink-fuchsia with slight red undertones. This means that it's a little punchier than Anarchy and perhaps more classy, too. I would love to rock this into the fall season.

But really, I'm just collecting all of the colors slowly and surely at this point. Don't mind me. Again, these retail for $22 dollars each.

         

Second, I picked up two things from Marc Jacobs' line: a nail polish ($18 retail)  and lip balm ($22 retail). Because I already have cult favorites in other brands, I figure I should expand my horizons and try some things I usually do not splurge on.

• The Enamored Hi-Shine Lacquer in 134 Lola seems like a bright red that isn't too vampy or teeny-bopper. I don't like dark gothic reds on the nails. It may have a slight pink undertone.


• The Lip Lock Moisture Balm is raved about by Fashionista804 and I am always looking for something to fix my chapped lips. It is rather overpriced, but since I can't even finish a cheapie lip balm (they end up  fossilizing into dinosaur eggs) I figure this may be a good investment.

I also picked up the new NARS Radiant Cream Compact Foundation in Stromboli/Medium 3 ($38 retail excluding the compact). I have seen way too many blogger promotions to not try this out for myself. I have been fearing liquid foundations in this heat and hope that a lighter layer of cream foundation does a better job in regards to coverage and staying power. I'm also surprised that Stromboli is a better match than Punjab, and with 22 shades to choose from I had fun swatching while the reps glared. Hehe.



Finally, the main reason of my adventure was to find the new LORAC PRO To Go Palette ($38 retail). I own and love the original LORAC Pro, and this portable little guy also has cheek products. I'm all for low maintenance 2-in-1's and portable packaging especially when it comes to traveling. I'm willing to bet that the consistency of the eyeshadows is smooth like butter and that the cheek colors will be universally flattering.

Now, time for me to go cry tears into my bank account in hopes of replenishing my funds. Actually, I have a few interviews lined up for next week, and I'm really excited to show off my chops. Can't collect makeup and buy groceries at the same time without a job, now can I?

Bye bye for now, make sure to watch out for reviews to come within these next two weeks for these items, excluding the NARS Cream Compact. I will need more time to see if that little guy brings his awkward third wheel friend "Cystic Acne" along.

Be

Review | Maybelline Color Tattoo Pure Pigments in Downtown Brown and Buff & Tuff

Now that I have hauled enough throughout the summer and had enough time to try all of my new products out,  it's time to get into loads of review!

I am an avid collector of Maybelline Color Tattoos because of their easygoing nature and creamy multidimensional texture. Now with the release of the Pure Pigments  in ten lovely metallic neutral ( as well as very shocking) shades, I have been wearing these loose shadows for a while and really enjoy them. They are a great drugstore alternative to MAC's loose pigments (which offers way too much, no way would I ever use any bottle up in my lifetime) and are a joy to use.

These pigments come in a little jar similar to their older sister but with a sifter for ease of application. You simply unscrew the top, dip your brush in, and apply straight onto the lids with or without a primer. Although they are loose powders, they are not prone to fallouts, to my surprise. They adhere very well onto any brush, be it fluffy or dense, and blend seamlessly wet or dry.

My eyelids are not oily and usually don't require primer, and these hold up without creasing for a full day. However, I would suggest an eye primer for most ladies regardless of which eyeshadow you're using.  Of course, they are not going to last a full 24 hour like Maybelline claims, but really? One must look past advertising falsehoods in any case.

Many other online reviewers have said that these are not ground breaking or amazing by any means, but I have to disagree. I haven't seen a product like this in the drugstore with this kind of quality before for less than ten dollars. Plus, the small amount of product means that you never have to worry about letting it go to waste. I think that applied on top of a good primer, these perform just as well as any mid range eyeshadow. Though the two shades I picked up are easily dupe-able, they are very pretty in their own way. If you're like me and just like a simple wash of color over the lid to pair with a winged liner, these are the way to go. I can dip my finger into the pot, smudge onto my lids, and go on with my day sans brush or mirror.

Now, on to swatches!

 

As you can see, they are pretty messy! It takes a lot of patience to work with loose powder, similar to wrestling small microscopic toddlers away from their toys. On the left is Downtown Brown, a lovely brown with gold shimmers. The right is Buff & Tuff, a sort of warm taupe. I am horrible with color description, but as you can tell they are neutrals that work with any and every skin tone.

Again, you can see on my swatches that they are pretty pigmented after two layers.  At the right angle, Downtown Brown is also much more opaque. I think both are great colors for makeup newbies or those who want to add an extra pop in their school or work routine. Note how the colors change with different lighting and angles.

My final verdict is that you can definitely do without these, but they are fun to use, especially for a loose pigment. Downtown Brown and Buff & Tuff  are a great dupes for single eyeshadows from the Urban Decay's Naked and Naked 2 pallettes, if you think you only need a few colors rather than the whole range. I still prefer pressed eyeshadow since they aren't too messy, but you won't have to worry about powder fairies dancing on your cheeks with these.

Do you like loose powders or would consider them in any case? Let me know! Hope you're having a great weekend.

Be

Review | Bourjois Bronzing Primer

Even though summer is technically over in a week or so, I can't help but want to stay tan year round. I think the LA weather is spoiling me. No, literally. I feel like a plate of food sitting out in the hot sun. The weather here is insane! I think someone needs to invent a portable AC unit that hooks up to your brain a la Matrix.

I'm constantly on the lookout for both bronzers and contour shades, and I'm happy to say that the Bourjois Bronzing Primer is an excellent multipurpose product. It was on sale on Asos.com for 11.00 US dineros, and I'm guessing it would be hard to find in an American drugstore. According to many UK bloggers it's also on short supply in their high street shops.

The product itself is a mousse like foam that looks like chocolate or dog poop, depending on your spiritual interpretation. It didn't smell like chocolate as others have suggested. I was hesitant to try because I could not get over the cloyingly sweet scent of Too Faced's Milk Chocolate Soleil bronzer. The Bourjois primer doesn't smell too strongly at all, but it is sweet. It comes in a little pot that was bigger than I thought. Some may say that this is unhygienic, but unless you've been dipping your fingers into mud prior to makeup application, it shouldn't be an issue. Plus, the pot is big enough to only last a month or two and you won't be letting bacteria fester for ever.

I have some suggestions on usage:

1. Use it as a primer, as the name suggests. If my skin is a little too light for a foundation around NC35, I use it to warm up my complexion without looking orange. I like using my fingers to apply it all over.


2. Use it to bronze! I apply the product with a stippling brush to high points of my face. You have to be sure not to blend too well with this product, as it is very natural and tends to fade out easily if you use too heavy of a hand.


3. Use it as a contour. Because it is a little warm but not orange, it also works as a contour shade. I use a flat foundation brush to lightly contour my nose and cheeks. Because it is a cream product, the results are much more natural looking than a powder!

Overall, it's a very interesting product that's a great dupe alternative to Chanel's Bronze Universal, or as I see it, tub o' pumpkin pie. This little pot of sun doesn't streak or slide on the face and costs much less than some bronzers currently on the market. The only problem is, you may have to resort to Ebay to find it.

So, will you be rocking the bronzer year round or putting it away for high pigmentation blush instead? I don't think the baby doll porcelain skin look can even be done in this part of the state...

Be

Beauty Blab | Making Room for New Makeup

This past weekend has been moving hell. I won't get into details, but now I am finally settled into my new home in LA. My new room is loads bigger, but I hate how much clutter has built up over the past two years, especially when it comes to makeup. I've tossed out a bunch of things:

• Lip glosses. They've oozed out of their containers, gotten sticky and dated, or just have gone past their expiration date. I have at least four that may have reached radioactive radiation status.


• Old foundations. I have a bunch that don't match, aren't the right formulation, or is just plain OLD. Toss!


• Powders and blushers that I've outgrown. I'm talking sparkly disco balls, powders that I've had for over three years, and a drugstore mattifier that just doesn't work!

A few things I'm looking forward to trying this fall:

• NARS Radiant Cream Compact Foundation. I recently picked up NARS Sheer Glow in Stromboli and fell in love, and I want to know how this new compact measures up! The shade range is phenomenal, but I may have to wait until the season gets colder/drier before I test it out.  I also have to use up a few compact foundations I already have lying around! ($48 retail)


• Jouer's Creme Eyeshadow Crayon in Rococo and Baroque. As reviewed by Essiebutton and Rae from Raeviewer, these eyeshadow crayons seem to be a hyper pigmented and longer wearing version of Maybelline's Color Tattoo. Must try. ($24 retail)


• Pixi Glow Tonic. This is more for my mom than me. She has hyperpigmentation, uneven skin texture, and acne scarring issues to address. I've heard nothing but massively positive reviews about this. Now....where to find it...($ mystery price)


• Tom Ford's eyeshadow trio in She Wolf. Absolutely beautiful and overpriced. I feel like the $60 price tag can only be justified by how much use I can get out of it. I still have so many palettes that have not even been scratched at the surface, let alone hit pan!

My main goal, however, is to go on a no-buy for the rest of the month until I can find new employment in this strange and crazy new city. You can't ball with no budget after all. After seeing how much makeup I currently own cram into three plastic bins, I think my makeup binge is done for now. However, I won't say no to anything ground breaking. Fall 2013 collections have already started rolling out on department store shelves and I still have yet to visit the many malls currently surrounding my new home!

That's it for now. Let me know how often you go on a no-buy, or whether you use most of your makeup up before buying new products!

Be

Review | Urban Decay's Revolution Lipsticks

This seriously sounds like a recipe for love. Twenty two shades, 22 dollars, 22 reasons why I will be broke very very soon. I've seen beauty bloggers rave and obsess over this for the past month, and for some reason, I just wasn't that interested. Bright shades? Pass, I've seen brighter. Creamy and moisturizing? Lies, no such thing. In all honesty, I don't need another lipstick, even if it blows everything I own out of the water. Even if it cooks breakfast every morning, or does my laundry, or please me better than ice cream.

I resisted, I really did try.

Then I went to Sephora and the display case captured and enraptured me. "Swatch F-bomb, doooo it!" a voice whispered. I shivered with hesitation. Oh, it was the makeup consultant. Yes, yes, I swatched quite a few until my hands were crazy with colors. How creamy it is indeed, I thought. Look at all of these beautiful nudes and brights, I thought. Slowly, against my very will, I picked out Anarchy and made my way to the checkout. Then the rest happened in due time.

Sigh.

I've always been a fan of UD's makeup, from their primer to eyeliners and eyeshadow palettes, but I never knew they even had a lipstick line to revamp. Apparently, the Revolution lipsticks are part of their Fall 2013 collection and will be a permanent addition. Let's get right into the review!

Color: With such a great range, you are sure to find a couple shades to love and covet. Check out Phyrra's swatches here. Even before hitting the store, I was eyeing most of them with the dedication of a sex offender. Pigmentation is opaque and strong. I picked out four colors:

• Anarchy, a hot pink/true fuchsia


• Streak, a slight coral pink (it's a pity that there were no other true corals in the line)


• F-Bomb, a true classic red with no discernible undertones


• Shame, a deep berry (looks disgusting in the picture right? It's actually the shade on the UD's model's lips...perfect for fall!)

Pricing: At 22 per lipstick, this is definitely smack dab in the mid-range of lip products. Now, if only they were a little cheaper to facilitate my hoarding obsession....I wouldn't say this is a strange price point, especially for UD products. There isn't too much product for the price but this is never a problem as I've never been able to finish any lipstick. I got mine at Sephora and Ulta.

Packaging: A lovely silver bullet, big enough to kill vampire-werewolf mutants with style. The inside is UD's iconic purple, and the tube slides shut with no click but a tight feeling. I'm a huge fan of how the lipstick bullet itself is a little more slender than others with no pointed tip. It makes application a breeze! A clear label adorns the bottom for you to identify.

Wear: It is indeed creamy without having too much slip to bleed. Wear time is about 4 hours, typical of most lipsticks. However, the best part of this lipstick is how it doesn't flake! It almost feels like YSL's Rouge Voluptes without the pricepoint. For the most part, many of my fuchsias and hot pinks tend to dry out my lips no matter how much I scrub my lips raw or layer lip balm. These wear comfortably for about 4 hours and start to stain/fade after that time mark. There is no ugly ring around your lips even after a meal. My favorite thing about these is that they do not crack or chap your lips! I have encountered many a high end lipstick that do so (ahem, NARS...)

Swatches: Now for the good part. These are all two coats, with Anarchy being one single swipe, and indoors.

This is in natural but dim lighting.

This is under yellow lighting from a fluorescent light. Sorry for the carpet, seems like I love hoarding dog hair more than I think. Gross.

And these are in direct natural sunlight from the window. You can see that Anarchy has very intense pigmentation, and Streak is much more pink than online pictures suggest.

Overall, I am really pleasantly surprised by the quality of these newly launched lipsticks and would love to collect a few more. I'm eyeing 69, Bang, Liar, and Naked 2. Forgot to tell you they have rather naughty names!

Are you thinking of trying out a few? I've seen quite a few bloggers hoard up on these, and I mean HOARD. As in, 10 shades and counting sort of irresponsible. UD is doing another thing right.

Be

Quick Blab | Burgundy Lip Trend for Fall 2013

It seems like the trend for fall and winter of 2013 is once again dark red and wine stained lips. Aka oxblood. Aka Burgundy. Aka Goth red. I just wanted to hear from all of my subbies/stalkers/readers/flagrant strangers:

[polldaddy poll=7318183]

Please leave a comment with a suggestion if you could. I am currently in possession of a few dark reds and wines but don't know whether to try Revlon Wine Not, MAC's Diva, or YSL's Forbidden Burgundy next. I am also thinking of cheating and layering a dark plum over a magenta lip liner. But, if you know of any other colors or lipstick collections out there that would have the perfect burgundy for fall, let me know too!

 

How To | Bronze and Glow

I think there's a cult out there that has successfully convinced many that using bronzer with glitter is on the same level as consorting with the devil.
Seriously.

Here's the thing, a contouring shade should NEVER have glitter, no matter how finely milled or microscopic. Contouring is the same as creating an illusion of deeper set shadows on the face, and shadows never sparkle. On the other hand, a bronzer with glitter does its job beautifully. Have you ever noticed how Victoria's Secret Angels all look like they practically live on a co-op lesbian yacht in the South of France? They always have an angelic glow/tan that is healthy rather than fake bake, and their skin is always on point even before Photoshop. (Btw, bless Photoshop for their wonky crease-less knees and elbow joints, too.) For the most part, this is due to the witchcraft of bronzers with a hint of shimmer. When shopping for a bronzer, I usually gravitate to VS sales to stock up for the year. Their bronzers are always surprisingly top notch since makeup is not their specialty.

My go-to bronzer at the moment is Victoria's Secret's GLOW Pressed Mineral Bronzing Powder, available in 3 shades and retails for 16 dollars. My shade is Riviera, which accompanies light-medium to medium skin tones very well. They all have a yellow undertone and some warmth, rather than straying to an ash or cool tone. The quad has four shades that can be used separately (as highlighter) or together for an awesome glow (hur hur, hence the name.) The best part is, this product is so subtle that it's hard to over-do and can be built up. There is also another bronzer line that VS does, but it contains too much shimmer for my taste and would best be used as a straight highlighter, similar to MAC's Soft and Gentle.

 

 

You can see that the colors lean a little cool-toned or warm under direct sunlight. You also can't see the shimmers unless you look very, very closely.

My husband noticed that my skin looked "radiant." Little did he know...

Before bronzer, I always like to have the rest of my face, eye, and lip makeup on first. This way, it's easier to gauge how much product is needed. I often pair a bronzed face with minimal or neutral eye makeup and a soft nudey pink lip so that my complexion takes the spotlight.

When applying a powder bronzer, I use a denser but fluffy face brush, like Sigma's F40 or powder brush and swirl in into the product. I then focus the product on the highest point of my cheeks, across the bridge of my nose, and straight onto my forehead. I also apply any left over product onto my chin and down the sides of my vocal cords (LOL, this sounds awful but it does slenderize your neck.) The effect you're going for is how your face would look on a print ad of glamorous women on boats. Please note that this procedure is completely different for applying contouring products. You could possibly take it on the edges of your hairline or under your cheekbones, but I'm not a fan of the look. Sparkling hairlines are so not vogue.

After the initial application, I like to take a clean face brush and blend/buff everything out so that there are no noticeable lines or demarcations. That's it!

I love using bronzers to warm up a foundation shade that's a tad too light, or just to warm up my complexion in the wintertime. While I adore a porcelain skin look in the winter, the dry air often sucks up the hydration on my skin and makes it look dull and flat. Bronzer often takes this away, and if done right, shouldn't be obvious in the least bit.

For a matte bronzer that also works as a natural contour, I recommend Urban Decay's Naked Flushed palette. Another great bronzer is any from the Physician's Formula line. For a high end pick, I would go with NARS Laguna. The most important part isn't the price point, but how finely milled their shimmer particles are. We don't want obvious chunks of glitter now do we?

That's all for today. I hope you guys found it helpful!

Be

First Look | Drugstore for Fall

Let's get right into this one!



From left to right: Vichy Dermablend Fluid Corrective Foundation in 35 Sand, L'Oreal EverCreme Cleansing Conditioner, Color Tattoo Pure Pigments in Buff & Tuff and Downtown Brown, and L'oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup in W4.

Vichy Dermablend Fluid Corrective Foundation in 35 Sand

I am really looking forward to see how the Dermablend will work as a tattoo cover up and concealer. I've seen how this works wonders on facial scarring and acne spots in Lisa Eldridge's tutorials, but wasn't sure I needed it until now since I may be starting work at a conservative company.

I was pretty surprised that the original price of the product was a whopping 30 dollars for 1 fl. oz. Thankfully, I got it on discount for 22 dollars. Still rather expensive for something that's "drugstore", eh?

The formula is thick, but runny enough to spread. Too bad the color selection is awful and hard to gauge in store. I figured Sand would be an alright match for a tan skintone, but I'm really using this for my inner forearm tattoo. I couldn't tell if Nude was yellow enough, and Gold looked way too dark.

L'Oreal EverCreme Cleansing Conditioner

This seems like a great dupe for WEN cleansing conditioners. I am halfway through my WEN trial bottle in Almond Mint, and so far I am loving the results. Too bad the price point is too much to repurchase. I figured since Essie from essiebutton was raving so hard about the Evercreme line I might as well give this a shot. My ends are very dry and could use some TLC.

Color Tattoo Pure Pigments in Buff & Tuff and Downtown Brown

I'm usually not a fan of loose pigments in general, since they get very messy and don't have great color payoff, but I had to get some to try for myself. I think these would look really great over their color tattoos or a white base (NYX Milk, duh herro!) I will have to wait until I get my hands on an eyeshadow brush before I can demo these for you.

and finally...

L'oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup in W4.

I had good results with the original formula, but haven't revisited the line in quite a while. For some reason, I freaked out in the dead of winter and denied all possibility that I could get as tan as W4. (Yeah, it looked ORANGE on my NC20 tone at the time.) I threw it away and never looked back. Now, with a month of summer left and a move to SoCal, I figure reinvesting in a new bottle wouldn't be so bad. In all honesty, this is one of the best drugstore foundations I've tried in a while. I'll be doing a review for you within the week.

That's it for my brief drugstore haul. I'm very curious about how these will turn out and have high expectations for all of them. I am really hoping that the cleansing conditioner will do the same job as my WEN, fingers crossed. I know I only have a month left of summer, but hopefully the LA heat will keep me tan and NC30 throughout the fall, too.  Have you guys gotten your hands on the Pure Pigments yet? What do you think?

Be

Collection| YSL Rouge Volupte Lipsticks

Why hello there,
I am patiently waiting for my summer to pass and twiddling my thumbs to pass the time. My favorite thing to do these past few nights is to make a huge bonfire in the backyard and toast up some oversized marshmallows, but my depleted stash of marshmallows is also telling me stop. I love dozing off next to the fire next to Beau, especially since he lovesss watching the embers fly up from the fire. I think it's ingrained in his membrane that small flying things are viable targets of food. I've also been trolling the mall to pass the time. Now that the Nordstrom sale is over, the mall traffic has gotten a lot better and I love to eat lunch at the Boudin in the plaza. Butternut squash soup = my sad attempt to be a rustic countryside woman. Anyway...

Ever thought that the perfect lipstick in the market costs more than your average box of crayons?
Call me crazy, but I'm the type of girl who splurges on lipsticks. The main reason being that my lips are very sensitive, prone to chapping and flaking, and extremely resistant to looking symmetrical or pretty. While it's always fun to haul in DS lipsticks, many of them find their way to the bottom of my drawer for not living up to expectations. I have a criteria list for lipsticks that would make the Admissions office of Harvard look as fun as a slip n slide. Speaking of which:

- I prefer lipsticks that are moisturizing enough to slip onto my lips and do not dry them out. Having thin lips is already a boon, but having dry and crackly lips caked on with lipstick at 4pm in the workday is not okay. I often find myself reapply a balm over lipsticks simply because they are too drying and end up with bleeding color.

- However, my ideal lipstick is long lasting. This means no budging, feathering, bleeding, or disappearing halfway through the day. I am fine with touch ups after meals and layering over lip liner.

- The color selection must include reds, fuchsias, nudes, and dusty pink/beiges. I see no reason why a product line would have only three colors to choose from unless they were universally flattering. Though I prefer satin finishes, I also love a matte lip or even a sparkly sheen if it's the right shade. I also prefer opaque lipsticks that don't require multiple coats, since we're not painting barns here.

- No strong scents that remind me of either play-doh, perfume, grandmas, crayons, or death chalk. I love MAC's vanilla scent but abhor lipsticks that claim to be scentless only to smell (and taste) very artificial. You should never be able to "taste" a lipstick.

- The packaging should be practical, if not beautiful. I don't like caps that go missing in my black hole of a handbag or those that hide the color when I'm trying to make a quick decision in the morning. This would explain why all of my MAC and NARS lipsticks are stored upside down for easy ident. (Jeez, sounded a little superfuturistic-filmnoir there.)

- Not too expensive or cheap. There are several DS brands that out-perform my high end lipsticks, and several high end products I would repurchase despite the price tag. However, it's realistic to price lipsticks at 10 to 20 dollars, not 3 (suspicious) or 300 (made of human tears).

From left to right: Number 3, Corail in Touch, and Number 1.

In most cases, a lot of lipsticks have fallen short of all of this very high Asian mother standard. I am happy to say that YSL's Rouge Volupte lipsticks are well worth the price (34 dollars!) and prestige. I recently picked up two beautiful nudes, Number 1 and Number 3, in the original collection along a lovely orange/coral in their Rouge Volupte Shine range. I believe this is the shade 14 Corail in Touch. I cringed at the price, but all of those demonic reviewers were infiltrating my mind and whispering words of encouragement as I stood at YSL's counter.

In this case, the pictures speak for themselves about the beauty of the packaging. The sheer heft of their packaging would make your boyfriend jealous, and the colors are absolutely radiant. I feel like a rich b*tch just for taking these out of my bag for reapplication. The best part is how you can tell what color you're about to use just from a quick glance.

What's more important is their creaminess! I could not believe how well these glided on but stayed on without bleeding. Paired with a prepped and moisturized lip, the color stays for almost 4 hours without touch up. For the Shine color, it acts as an emollient balm that imparts a healthy color. In fact, it reminds me of a very good version of the coveted Revlon Lip Butters because it does the same job without bleeding outside of your lip line, a la The Joker.

These lipsticks all have a mango scent. Now, here is the tricky part. Some people will absolutely detest this because it smells very juvenile for such an expensive product. The good part is that it doesn't last too long after you put it on. I personally enjoy it and finds that it makes my day a little brighter. Others will find this too cloying. I'm just glad it doesn't smell like perfumed grandma playing in play doh. I've literally gagged after applying some cheap lipsticks due to the scent and taste.

Not to mention, I have many, many, many more colors to collect from YSL's lip product ranges. There is a great variety of selection from divas looking for the perfect opaque red to the girl new to makeup who tries a baby pink stained flush. I got bewildered and went with two nudes from their original collection, since I've always been let down by other nudes that are just too chalky. Number 1 is a dusty rose pink nude that would look absolutely beautiful on an NW10 to NW20 (on me, it looks like a dirty Miami vacation fling, which I like). Number 3 is my MLBB shade and subdues any smokey eye makeup. The orange Volupte shine is also very flattering on my tan skin at the moment and looks very summery.

Overall, I think that these lipsticks are very well rounded. They don't particular blow every other lipstick in existence out of the water, but they perform very well and are a luxurious joy to have on your vanity or in your purse. If they were priced at around 20 dollars, they would absolutely be holy grail in comparison to other lipsticks in that range (Makeup Forever, Buxom, Smashbox, etc...) I would love to collect a few more, specifically a bright classic red and screaming loud pink.

What do you think? Is 34 dollars a lipstick the same sin as 34 dollars for a great bra? Does the daily use overweigh the initial cost? I would love to hear your opinion on these!

Hope your week is going well. I am counting down the days 'til LA.

Be